Reality
by StrawberryPanda2
Summary: Thrown out of the church and disgraced, Alice goes back to the bridge holding the memories of her confession to Lavi. Starving and about to die, Alice remembers...


The Earl was defeated, the akuma were destroyed, and the Noah lost their powers. Alice was useless to the world. Even worse, the Order threw her out and from that point on, no matter what she did, she was thrown out.

Everyone believed that if you were thrown away by the church you were bad luck. No matter where she went on the continent she was thrown away. No, no matter where she went that the Order had touch with no one would take her in.

Now the once proud woman was homeless, starving, and malnourished. Once it amused her when even the homeless shunned her due to the tattoo on her face. Now, she had fallen into despair. At least Miranda got a chance.

None of her previous friends were allowed to make contact with her and so, they couldn't help her. At least, those who stayed with the Order. Right after the battle, Lavi left. Bookman had died and it was his duty to continue. _I wonder what happened to the bastard._ Alice laughed lightly in her head. She had no right to insult others.

Without warning Alice was pushed into the gutters. An unknown man sneered at her. "Trash like you should stay in the gutters. Do us all a favor and die." Alice clenched her teeth at his words and resisted the urge to attack him. No matter how ill she was, she was still strong. As the man walked away his children mocked her and their mother tried to pull them away "lest the rat has some disease."

Passers-by didn't offer her a hand, when they paid her any attention they sneered at her. Smiling grimly Alice slowly lifted herself and began walking again. Resolutely ignoring the jeers Alice walked familiar paths. She knew of a bridge where few people ever went and so she decided on that place as her destination.

As she neared the old wooden, yet beautiful, bridge the pavement turned to dirt and the dirt to a rocky, uneven path. Even as she stumbled Alice was determined to reach that place. Carefully she stepped onto the bridge.

_"Come on." A green-eyed girl pulled a boy of the same eye color. "We don't have that long. It's almost time for the mission. We need to hurry." The boy, who had flaming red hair, grinned and let the girl pull him._

_ "I really-Agh!" The boy laughed at the girl, who had fallen on the uneven path. "Lavi, you ass! You should have stopped me from falling!" Lavi just snickered._

_ The girl rolled her eyes and picked herself up. Again they started running for the bridge. "Wow, it looks... nice. This has to be one of the most beautiful places I've seen. And that's saying a lot." _

She was looking down at the water, remembering when she came here for the first and last time with Lavi. In the water she saw how she looked now, dirty brown hair, thin to the point of being able to count all of her bones, and dull green eyes.

In the water Alice saw a figure behind her right before she was pushed into the water. Before thinking she attacked the red-head like a bat out of hell. He grabbed her fist right before it connected with his face. Then the boy-no, man-grinned.

"What the hell was that for? Were you trying to kill me?" Again the man grinned at Alice.

"You looked like you could use a bath, Alice. You still do." Alice's eyes widened.

_ Lavi turned his one eye towards his companion. "So, uh, what'd ya need, Alice."_

_ Alice, who was rubbing her nose abashedly, stopped and looked sadly at the water to her right. Finally perking up she snapped around to face Lavi, causing her short brown hair to fly about. "I know." Lavi looked confused._

_ Alice started again, "I know... that it's stupid of me." Still Lavi didn't understand what she was getting at."Before we go, I know this will be the last time we see each other." Lavi nodded slowly. "Lavi-no, Bookman, I fell for Lavi. I wanted to tell you that before Lavi died."_

"La-Bookman." Alice coldly nodded at him and was about to walk away. "I apologize for disgracing your presence. Let this mongrel go die in a gutter." Bookman's eye widened slightly.

"What are you talking about?" Alice snapped around, like that time, making her hair fly. When Bookman saw the tattoo on her face he paused. Alice used that moment to start walking away.

She was surprised when Bookman hugged her from behind. His now-long hair fell over her shoulder and tickled her cheek. "Do you not want me to see you? Do you hate me now?" Alice, already on the verge of crying when she saw him again at this place, started crying.

"No. I could never hate you. No matter how much you change, or how much you hate me." Bookman hugged Alice tighter.

"I could never hate you."

_ Alice looked up at Lavi sadly, a forced smile on her face. In turn Lavi's face fell. He leant towards Alice and their noses touched. "Just so ya know, Alice. Lavi fell for you too. Before I-he-dies," Lavi slowly leant down as Alice tilted up and their lips slowly touched in a chaste kiss._

_ "You know," Alice was crying. Now their foreheads were touching. "You don't have to lie to me." Lavi looked on the verge of tears too._

_ "I really did." Alice shook her head and broke away from his embrace._

_ "Please, I love you. Don't hurt me anymore than you already have. I would rather you deal me the truth, that which hurts, than lie to me, that which hurts even more." Lavi looked at Alice sadly._

"I forgot. You can't feel anything, right?" Alice smiled softly to soften the blow.

Bookman pressed his face into Alice's hair and hesitantly pulled away. "You're not going to ask why we met here?" Alice gave him an amused look.

"Isn't it just bad luck?" Bookman sadly shook his head.

"I got a message from the others. They said they haven't seen you in nine years. All of them are worried about you." Alice smiled.

"I know." She leaned on the railing again. "Why did you come though? I thought that once 'Lavi' died you wouldn't keep in contact with us anymore." Bookman leaned his back on the railing, by Alice, and lit a cigarette.

"I wanted to stay as 'Lavi.'" Alice looked at Bookman in shock.

"Why?" Bookman smiled at her.

"At first I didn't want to. I couldn't wait to get out of there. Then I met you. I was still resolved to leave though. What was the point of giving up my dream to someone who didn't love me?" Bookman was silent as Alice stared at him in silence.

"Then you confessed to 'Lavi' and I wanted with all my being to stay."

"But by then you owed Bookman. Right?" Bookman nodded.

"That doesn't explain why Bookman thought it was important to visit me." Bookman looked down at her.

"It doesnt?"

_"I'm not lying! I've loved you since I met you, Alice!" Alice glared at him._

_ "Please, Lavi-Bookman!-stop lying to both of us! We know you don't love me! You can't! If that's not a fact then I think I might lose my mind! I've been preparing myself for this moment for a long time." Alice was crying a steady stream._

_ "Believe me Alice. I'm not lying to you. If you lose your mind I'd still stay with you and love you. Even if you attacked me in hate I would embrace you yet confine you at the same time." Alice snorted._

_ "How many times have you said that in your life as a human, not as Lavi." Lavi looked her straight in the eye._

_ "Never." Lavi could see in Alice's eyes that she wanted to believe him. He decided that words wouldn't work and instead tried to use actions._

_ The red-head pulled Alice to him and he kissed her passionately. Alice readily returned with all of the emotions she felt for Lavi. She knew that she'd let him follow his dream before letting him concern himself with her._

_ So she took that chance, that she believed to be her last, to show how she felt. Lavi fell back, with Alice on top of him and he rolled over, so he was on top of Alice._

_ Due to the need to breath they broke apart and they helped each other remove their clothes._

"Bookman never visited you." Alice looked at him, confused.

"I was looking for someone to succeed Bookman." Understanding dawned in Alice's eyes. "My name is Lavi. Remember, Alice?" Alice beamed in joy and hugged him, knocking them both to the ground.

Right before they kissed Alice stopped. "I was thrown out of the church though." Lavi wrinkled his nose.

"I thought we could stay here." Alice raised her eyebrow.

"We can't. Earlier I was pushed in a gutter." Lavi's eyes flamed.

"Who did it, I'll kill them." Alice sweatdropped.

"Don't know." Alice thought for a few minutes. "Hey, you know Japanese?" Lavi gave her a look that said, "Duh." "Why don't we live in Japan. Pay Yu a visit, you know." Lavi thought for a moment.

"That sounds fun. Did you know Yu and Lena-lady got married?" Alice squealed in joy.

"Really!" Then she sobered. "Then wouldn't they live on this continent?" Lavi shook his head.

"She wanted to see what his homeland really looks like." Alice hummed in thought.

_Lavi woke Alice up and handed Alice her clothes. "The next time we can be together. We'll meet at this bridge. That's when fate will let us be together." Alice nodded solemnly._

_ "I hope that time comes."_

Lavi was staring at Alice thinking that she looked much nicer. Noticing the eye looking at her Alice turned a similar green on Lavi. "What's wrong?"

"I was thinking, now that you're all washed up and you've eaten, you look better than before." Alice blushed.

"Thanks." Together they looked out at the ocean. Finally, after weeks of hard work on Lavi's part they could afford tickets on the ship to Japan.

"Why were you at the bridge that time? I went there, feeling that's where you'd be but you never told me."

"I was about to die. I was starving for weeks, only my Innocence kept me alive." Silence, comfortable, engulfed the couple.

"Alice," Alice looked towards Lavi again.

"What?"

"Remember that time when we last saw each other at the bridge?" Alice nodded. "Do you remember the promise?" This time Alice smiled while nodding. "I told you so." The brunette laughed and hugged him.

"Will you..." Lavi got on one knee. "Will you marry me? We can be together again."

Alice grinned at him. "Yes, now get up here." Lavi complied and Alice kissed him heatedly. "I love you."

"I love you too."


End file.
